title: Use and perceived benefits of mobile devices by physicians in preventing adverse drug events in the nursing home.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although mobile devices equipped with drug reference software may help prevent adverse drug events (ADEs) in the nursing home (NH) by providing medication information at the point of care, little is known about their use and perceived benefits. The goal of this study was to conduct a survey of a nationally representative sample of NH physicians to quantify the use and perceived benefits of mobile devices in preventing ADEs in the NH setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed physicians who attended the 2010 American Medical Directors Association Annual Symposium about their use of mobile devices, and beliefs about the effectiveness of drug reference software in preventing ADEs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall net valid response rate was 70% (558/800) with 42% (236/558) using mobile devices to assist with prescribing in the NH. Physicians with 15 or fewer years of clinical experience were 67% more likely to be mobile device users, compared with those with more than 15 years of clinical experience (odds ratio = 1.68; 95% confidence interval = 1.17-2.41; P = .005). For those who used a mobile device to assist with prescribing, almost all (98%) reported performing an average of 1 or more drug look-ups per day, performed an average of 1 to 2 lookups per day for potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs), and most (88%) believed that drug reference software had helped to prevent at least 1 potential ADE in the preceding 4-week period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of NH physicians who use mobile devices with drug reference software, although significant, is lower than in other clinical environments. Our results suggest that NH physicians who use mobile devices equipped with drug reference software believe they are helpful for reducing ADEs. Further research is needed to better characterize the facilitators and barriers to adoption of the technology in the NH and its precise impact on NH ADEs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS), Pittsburgh, PA; Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), VAPHS, Pittsburgh, PA; Geriatric Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Geroinformatics Research and Training Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: handler@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Handler
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Boyce
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ligons
authors.forename: Subashan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Nace
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hochheiser
mesh_terms: D001292:Attitude to Computers; D034201:Computers, Handheld / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004346:Drug Information Services; D004347:Drug Interactions; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D008486:Physician Executives / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: Nursing homes; adverse drug events; drug-drug interactions; handheld computers; m-Health; mobile devices; smartphones